Sanju Samson revealed that the nagging thought of “what if not” kept surfacing during his match-winning knock, but he consciously pulled himself back to the present to steer India into the T20 World Cup semifinals with a magnificent unbeaten 97 on Sunday.
Also Read: Zimbabwe await travel clarity as Dubai airport shuts after US strikes on Iran
The right-hander’s 50-ball 97 not out, laced with 12 fours and four sixes, proved decisive as India chased down the target to defeat the West Indies by five wickets with four balls remaining.
“There is always a question: what if not? That thought does play in your mind,” Samson said after the match. “Whenever it came, I just brought myself back to the present moment, watched the ball closely and trusted myself to respond on merit. That worked well today.”
Samson credited his approach in chases to lessons absorbed from stalwarts such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni.
“I’ve been around this format for a long time. Playing in the IPL for 10–12 years and being part of the national setup for nearly a decade even when I wasn’t in the XI, I learned a lot from the dugout,” he said.
“It’s important to observe how the greats operate — how they finish games and adapt to different match situations. I may have played around 50 or 60 games, but I’ve watched more than 100 closely and seen how the best handle pressure. That experience really helped.”
Describing the knock as one of the most special moments of his career, Samson said the innings meant “the whole world” to him. His unbeaten 97 is now the second-highest score by an Indian in T20 World Cup history, behind Suresh Raina’s 101 against South Africa in 2010.
“From the day I started dreaming of playing for India, this is the kind of moment I waited for,” he said. “My journey has had many ups and downs. I’ve doubted myself at times, wondered if I could make it. But I kept believing. I’m grateful and thankful — this is one of the greatest days of my life.”
